The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of endurance training prior to occurrence of muscle atrophy on the mass, myofibrillar protein content and fiber crossectional area of atrophied hindlimb muscles of rats. Adult female Wistar rats were trained prior to occurrence of muscle atrophy induced by hindlimb suspension. Training began on the lst day for 10min/day at 15m/min on a 0% grade, training exercise increased daily in time and intensity so that by the 4th week rats were running 60min/day, at 34m/min on a 13.5% grade. Wet weight and relative weight of soleus, plantaris and gastrocnemius muscle decreased significantly after seven days of hindlimb suspension. Wet weight and relative weight of soleus tended to increase and that of plantaris and gastrocnemius tended to decrease in the exercise group as compared to the control group. Myofibrillar protein content of soleus and gastrocnemius tended to in crease and that of plantaris tended to decrease in the endurance trained group as compared to the control group. Fiber crossectional area of Type I, II fiber in soleus and plantaris muscle tended to increase in the exercise group as compared to the control group. Wet weight and relative weight of soleus, plantaris and gastrocnemius decreased significantly, myofibrillar protein content of soleus, plantaris and gastrocnemius increased in hindlimb suspended rats following endurance training as compared to the control group. There was no change in fiber type percentage and crossectional area of type I and II fiber in soleus muscle and that of type I and II fiber in plantaris muscle decreased in the hindlimb suspended rats following endurance training as compared to the control group. Wet weight and relative weight of soleus and plantaris tended to increase, that of gastrocnemius increased significantly, myofibrillar protein content of soleus and plantaris muscle increased significantly and that of gastrocnemius tended to increase in the hindlimb suspended rats following endurance training as compared to sedentary rats following endurance training. Crossectional area of type I fiber of soleus muscle tended to increase, that of type I fiber of plantaris muscle increased significantly and that of type II fiber tended to increase in hindlimb suspended rats following endurance training as compared to sedentary rats following endurance training. The results suggest that endurance training prior to occurrence of muscle atrophy can attenuate the decrease of mass, myofibrillar protein content and fiber crossectional area induced by hindlimb suspension.